Frank Harris Hitchcock (October 5, 1867 – August 5, 1935), was chairman of

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in ...

from 1908 to 1909. He was then

Postmaster General of the United States The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

under President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

from 1909 to 1913.

Biography

Frank Harris Hitchcock was born in

Amherst, Ohio Amherst () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located west of Cleveland. The population was 12,681 at the 2020 census. History The original village, which eventually became known as Amherst, was established/founded by pione ...

on October 5, 1867. According to historian David Leighton, "He graduated from

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1891 and the

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of co ...

in 1894. During his time at Harvard he met Theodore Roosevelt at the Audubon Society, both sharing a passion for the study of birds. Hitchcock credited Roosevelt for his success at the national level: From 1897 to 1905 Hitchcock served in the departments of Agriculture and Commerce. From 1905-08, he was assistant postmaster general." He is credited with establishing the first U.S.

airmail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be t ...

service. As Postmaster General, he made prosecution of

mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical or electronic mail system to defraud another, and are federal crimes there. Jurisdiction is claimed by the federal government if the illegal activity ...

a top priority, and led a major crackdown on people using the mails to sell shares in worthless companies. He's also credited with starting the US Postal Service's Operation Santa in 1912, instructing local postmasters to let workers and citizens respond to Santa letters that were popping up in post offices. Hitchcock moved to Arizona in 1928 where he invested in mining and was an owner of the ''

Tucson Citizen The ''Tucson Citizen'' was a daily newspaper in Tucson, Arizona. It was founded by Richard C. McCormick with John Wasson as publisher and editor on October 15, 1870, as the ''Arizona Citizen''. When it ceased printing on May 16, 2009, the daily ...

''. He advocated for the creation of

Catalina Highway The Catalina Highway, officially the General Hitchcock Highway, is the popular name for a Forest Highway and scenic route located in Pima County in southern Arizona. Also known as the Sky Island Scenic Byway, the Mount Lemmon Highway and Arizo ...

and

Saguaro National Monument The saguaro (, ) (''Carnegiea gigantea'') is a tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus ''Carnegiea'' that can grow to be over tall. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and the Whipple Mountains a ...

. Frank Harris Hitchcock died in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

on August 5, 1935.

Images

File:Frank H. Hitchcock and T. Coleman du Pont.jpg, Hitchcock with

T. Coleman du Pont Thomas Coleman du Pont (December 11, 1863 – November 11, 1930) was an American engineer and politician, from Greenville, Delaware. He was President of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, and a member of the Republican Party who served part ...

File:Earle Lewis Ovington 4a38676a01 o.jpg, Edward M. Morgan, Frank Harris Hitchcock, and

Earle Lewis Ovington Earle Lewis Ovington (December 20, 1879 – July 21, 1936) was an American aeronautical engineer, aviator and inventor, and served as a lab assistant to Thomas Edison. Ovington piloted the first official airmail flight in the United States ...

in his

Blériot XI The Blériot XI is a French aircraft of the pioneer era of aviation. The first example was used by Louis Blériot to make the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, on 25 July 1909. This is one of the most fa ...

File:Ovington 2162926957 48f8225fce o.jpg, Edward M. Morgan, Frank Harris Hitchcock, and

in his

Notes

External links

David Leighton, "Street Smarts: General Hitchcock Highway remembers a man whose influence went from D.C. to Tucson and back," Arizona Daily Star, Feb. 25, 2014
, - 1867 births 1935 deaths 20th-century American politicians Arizona Republicans Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery George Washington University Law School alumni Harvard University alumni Ohio Republicans People from Amherst, Ohio Republican National Committee chairs Taft administration cabinet members United States Postmasters General {{US-politician-stub